My guess is that "near-prose like" refers to writing that feels like it is being spoken as you read it. I can somewhat understand that.

I've never read any of this guy's work before. Despite the "preliminary draft" footnote, he strikes me as not a very thoughtful writer. I can forgive "Sometimes around the fifth century" but not "beggars who flouted they scorn of material possessions". Flouted material possessions? Flaunted their scorn of material possessions? Once I get the impression that someone is using words without fully understanding their meaning, it's hard for me to seriously consider what they are trying to convey. Perhaps that's a little harsh, but he is supposed to be a writer.